Day 3 and the ketostix still registers negative - what can i do,
I am getting less than 20 grams carbs,
eating fat and lettuce ??

I had 2 stewed tomatoes with burger last night, would that be it?

Dont be alarmed by the ketostix, they arent the most reliable. Sometimes if U drink a lot of water the stix wont turn. I would wait 2 more days and try again but even if they dont turn color it doesnt mean U arent in ketosis, it just means it isnt registering on the stix.

Celeste

Let me just endorse the earlier post. It takes time for your body to change and you should be seeing a change to a fat burning body shortly. There are several factors that come into play including how much carbohydrate you had in your system to start with and how active you are.

Once you see a change in the ketostix do not get hung up on the level as they only need to show a trace. If they get deep in colour it generally means that you are not drinking enough water. It took me quite a long time to find out and appreciate this last fact as I only ever had a low reading.

Make sure not to starve yourself. You also need plenty of protein, or your body will start breaking down your muscle tissue and that will be bad. Dr. Atkins says that many people slim down without ever turning the strips pink, so don't sweat it.

Thanks,
I understand what you are telling me, and thats cool,

However, It has been 3 days and no weight loss shown either,
I am hearing 7 lbs or so in 14 days,

I guess maybe I am freigting for nothin' too early,

Thanks again,

PS Just ordered three different books on Atkins, Low Carb and Recipe book.

Since you are only looking to lose about 40 pounds (I know, what's this "only" nonsense? It's all relative) you can expect to lose about 4 pounds somewhere in the first month. Given the variability in everyone's weight during the course of the day and from day to day, it might be hard to pick that out for you for another couple of weeks.

Be sure to take and track your body measurements as well, those are usually much better indicators of fat loss than the scale.

And even then, keep in mind that your body may well retain water in the emptying fat cells for a while. Very, very common.

Just relax, focus on the long term, and Keep the Faith.

I was a ketostix fanatic when I first started. Although I now realize the results don't always mean a whole lot, sometimes it's just nice to see it change and feel like you have concrete proof that you're doing everything right. For me, the stix only show positive ketones at night, a couple of hours after my last food intake and about 4-5 hours after my last exercise. Some people on test positive in the morning - to each his own. If you're still intent on showing ketones on the stix, try testing at different times of the day and see what happens. And yes, "trace" is better than turning the stick purple!

I am sorry to sound so negative, I think it's great that you all are losing weight. I once did too on the diet, 11 pounds anyway.
I started day 9 today and thought that a few pounds went away. I am now one pound heavier than when I started. My ketostix have been registering ketosis moderate now since day five. I am eating what I am supposed to to a T. I have spent the long dollar on splenda, heavy cream, whole meat like ground chuck, hard salami, peperoni, cheese with 0 carb and 0 sugar on the package, just bought sf jello. Been eating salads with 1 carb per serving dressing, I am drinking 2 cups in the morning of caf coffee, then the rest of the day decaf tea. I am ready to quit - By day 9 I should have at least lost a pound or two ?
I have to be doing something wrong. I am drinking water and decaf tea. Probably only about a gal. a day total though.
I am taking vitamins...I am a mother of teenagers, with a full time sit down computer job. Dont get a lot of exersize till spring time leads to lightness longer outdoors. What do you suggest that I can do to make this work for me?>
I am eating 2-3 times a day. I am to the point of whats the point, and I want to lose weight very very badly. Someone please comment, I want to be positive about this,

You say you eat 2-3 times a day. I would say a good start to make is to make sure you eat at least 3 times a day, even if you are not particularly hungry.

You did not say if you are hungry, but since you don't seem to be taking all of your meals I would say the ketosis has definately kicked in and you are having the dulled appetite side effect. Even though you are not hungry, you still need to eat, otherwise your body will think there is a shortage of food and hang on to all the fat you want to lose. Make sure you eat breakfast every morning.

You say you have bought the following products:

Splenda--Dr. Atkins limits your servings to 3 per day or less. Pourable Splenda also has carbs because of the maltodextrin filler. You should try a two week induction without the splenda and then add it in later. Some people can't have any little taste of sweet because it raises their insulin and encourages their body to store fat.

Heavy Cream--Dr. Atkins limits this to 3 oz. per day, cream is not a carb free food, a cup packs quite the carb punch. Some people have food intollerances to dairy which may slow their loss and even make them gain. Try cutting dairy.

Ground beef--good as long as it doesn't have any fillers or preservatives. Also try adding chicken, steak, pork, fish and other non overly processed meats. Most don't take too long to cook in the oven and can be stored in the fridge cooked for you to grab for a quick breakfast if you are on the run.

Hard salami, pepperoni--these are processed meats. Some people can eat these all day long and they still lose weight. Other people have adverse effects from the added salt and chemicals added. This may be contributing to your stall.

Cheese--no cheese has 0 carbs. The labels are allowed to say 0 if it is less than .9 carbs. Dr. Atkins limits cheese to no more than 3 oz. per day, and as I mentioned some people are dairy intollerant when it comes to weight loss. Some people never knew that dairy was a problem for them until they cut out the breads etc. Some people for whom dairy interferres with them losing weight can include cheese when maintaining.

Sugar Free Jello--Atkins frowns on aspertame, which is the artificial sweetner used in that brand. Again, Your Milage May Vary, it effects some people's loses and doesn't effect others. Just to be safe, consume none during your two week induction.

Salads--a good choice, try to get in a variety of salads and lettaces, romaine and baby spinich are some of my favorites. Don't worry if your salad is big, we're allowed 20 carbs a day and it's hard to get that just from salad. You can also add a serving of allowed veggies with your evening meal.

Beverages--there are carbs in decaf coffee and tea, they are minimal, but the cream and splenda can make the carbs mount up fast. Try drinking water and only water during your induction, the more the better. Everyone needs at least 64 oz. Some people go into mulitple liters. Many people have commented on how as they drink more water they want more and feel better with smoother skin and more energy.

Exercise--doesn't have to take long, you could go for a walk, get an exercise tape, whatever works for you. It is getting lighter every day, make the most of it!

There are many people here who can try to give you the support you need. You may want to consider starting a journal and we can help you along the way.

A general rule of thumb is that you need to consume 10-12 times your current weight in calories so that your body doesn't go into starvation mode and hang onto fat. Make sure you eat enough calories.

Fat is important in low carbing, something has to make up the calories and butter on veggies, oil on salad and the like can really help you boosting them without you feeling overstuffed. A good breakdown is 65-70% fat in your diet, 20-25% protein and about 5% carbs from green veggies. You can go to www.fitday.com to get a free account that will keep track of all the foods you input and break it down into carbs fat protein and calories.

I hope you find success with us in your low carb endeavor.

Beth

Celeste, I did find your journal in the M-Q section of the My Journal/Bootcamp section of the site.

Best Wishes,

Beth

Celeste - Beth is an Atkins expert and absolutely right about everything she posted. Try to take her advice.

I can't stress enough how important it is to eat an adequate number of calories. For people who have spent time on low fat, calorie-restricted diets the concept of eating more than 1000-1200 calories on a "DIET" can seem like a fantasy. In reality, you need to support your basal metabolism. (You can do a quick estimate of how many calories that is by multiplying your weight by 9.817 for women or 10.908 for men.) For you at 204, that comes out to a little over 2000 calories - just for breathing, pumping blood...you get the picture. If you eat less than that, your metabolism will start to slow down because you are starving your body (like Beth said!).

Also, beware the dairy! I never knew that I had food intolerances of any kind before I started LC. Turns out, dairy and corn are not my best friends. I cut them out for 3 weeks and immediately noticed a big difference in my body's reaction and the scale. I have since reinstated a little dairy, but only occasionally. You might try cutting it out for a week and seeing what happens...

Good luck, Celeste. Don't give up yet! Sometimes it just takes a little longer to get in sync with your body. My apologies for not checking your journal before I posted here if all the answers to my questions are there - I'll go do that right now!
Dani